Visual WebGui Over Silverlight

What is Silverlight

Silverlight is a new Web presentation technology that is created to run on a variety of platforms. It enables the creation of rich, visually stunning and interactive experiences that can run everywhere within browsers and on multiple devices and desktop operating systems. In consistency with WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation), the presentation technology in Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 (the Windows programming infrastructure), XAML (eXtensible Application Markup Language) is the foundation of the Silverlight presentation capability.
You can read more about it here.

What is Visual WebGui

Visual WebGui (VWG)  is an open source “Web like desktop” application platform. It incorporates RAD development framework that integrates seamlessly into Visual Studio. VWG enables web applications development using desktop like ultra productive( WinForms like) drag & drop  designer. Application built with VWG can be accessed through multiple presentation layers (currently available DHTML, Silverlight and a smart client).

What is Visual WebGui over Silverlight.

Visual WebGui over Silverlight is the only available RAD tool to develop a fully blown, data-centric, enterprise-level Microsoft Silverlight applications. Choosing VWG Over silverlight the developer/designer is provided with over 60 Windows Forms controls and the tools to rapidly create an animated, cross-device, multimedia rich and fully customized Minority Report like Silverlight application.

VWG over Silverlight is based on the VWG “On-Server” WebModel concept. This means the entire application flow, UI logic and validations are developed and processed on the server while the browser serves as a “display” for the output and a “receptor” for user input. Once in run time mode, a VWG application is accessed by automatic downloading a 200K kernel,Nothing but that small kernel runs on client.

VWG over Silverlight uses Ajax uniquely optimized protocol (over standard HTTP / XML). Kernel is downloaded once after which only state and data changes are going back and forth as required. This results in a highly responsive application which utilizes fewer resources enabling servers to handle more concurrent users. An average round trip is made up of less than 1K of Meta data unaffected by application wight and size.

The On-Server WebModel utilizes a client side “rendering” engine which communicates with the server over XMLHttp. The client never consumes data or services directly since all of the application logic, UI logic and data access is handled on the server. The client simply connects to the “view” on the server and therefore never compromises security. Furthermore, since a proprietary protocol is used to correlate view state between the server and the client, it’s a greater challenge to override, eavesdrop or hack. The only data that is delivered to the client is data that can be viewed on the client meaning there is never any sensitive data that may be required for logic or validation beyond what is rendered and seen by the user on the screen.

VWG methodology has a real-world, field-proven track record for simplifying development and saving time and resources in DHTML application development. This is also true to Silverlight, VWG simplifies Silverlight line of business (LOB) development with a proven 90% cut in development time while it empowers it as a GUI for LOB applications.

It is currently the fastest method of choice for a migration path to Silverlight and it does it without losing any of Silverlight's rich capabilities - still allowing you to use Expression Blend for styling. There's no need for retooling, retraining or fighting to stay on the learning curve. Once you've made the simple transition you will be more productive than ever.

Many development shops are still sitting on the fence to see where Silverlight is going. Many say that if they had a default option for users who still haven't installed the Silverlight plug-in they would jump into Silverlight without hesitation. VWG allows for single development and dual deployment to either DHTML or Silverlight. This lets developers cater for all their users whether they have installed Silverlight or not. Both will be able to access the application, with the Silverlight users enjoying a richer GUI. 

Gizmox, the company behind the Visual WebGui (VWG) open source platform, has been cooperating with Microsoft in the development of VWG server-empowered Silverlight. Visual WebGui over Silverlight is the extension to the Visual WebGui server that allows a VWG developer to use Microsoft Silverlight as there VWG application’s presentation layer.

How does it work?

Once a VWG application was developed the developer can distribute this application as Silverlight application, DHTML application or both. When a user enters a URL in the browser the IIS routs the request according to the extension that was entered. SWGX is the Visual WebGui Silverlight extension. The IIS routs the request to the Visual WebGui server, which sends on the initial request a small kernel to the client and an XML file with the initial data that is reacquired. This kernel in a Visual WebGui silverlight application holds a XAP file with the Visual WebGui Silverlight core dll’s. A XAP file is basically a compiled Silverlight application. The file is actually a .zip file that contains all the files necessary for the application. The XAP file holds also a AppManifest.xaml that describes a Silverlight application to the Silverlight Streaming hosting service. The manifest is an XML file that specifies the values used to create an instance of your Silverlight application on the Silverlight Streaming server.

At the heart of Silverlight is the browser-enhancement module that renders XAML and draws the resulting graphics on the browser surface. When the browser (with a Silverlight plug-in) receives a XAP file the XAP holds the genric.xaml file of the Visual WebGui Silverlight Application. It is rendered by the Silverlight plug-in to display a Silverlight application UI.

In the background the communication with the server is managed by Visual WebGui server binding mechanism. The server binding mechanism provides a generic mechanism to interact between the server and the client, using the highly optimized communication methods of Visual WebGui.

In conclusion VWG SDK is used for rapid development of fully blown, data-centric, enterprise-level Microsoft Silverlight applications. Visual WebGui over Silverlight allows developers to present a Visual WebGui application as a Silverlight application with all that it implies. This allows the developer to enjoy the fast and easy Winforms design time capabilities of Visual WebGui while using Silverlight’s abilities to display rich, visually stunning and interactive experiences in Web applications.

Read more about Visual WebGui over Silverlight.

-- Eyal Albert @ Eyal.Albert (at) Gizmox.com